Alohomora of the mind
by Izabel
Summary: It's now 4 years after their graduation of Hogwarts. Hermione, on Ron's idea, will take part in a tv question show. Will their lives be unexpectinly affected by this? Just a bit of fun to read :)


_Hi everyone! Yeah I know I'm far away and shouldn't be able to write but you know when an idea came into your mind and the story sort ofwrites itself. Well, that's what happened! I appologise if there is any mistakes as I'm sure there are since I speak French before English... Well I hope you'll enjoyed and I'd appreciate some feed back. Thanks! Oh, and I must add that I have absolutely no idea when I'll update. Hopefully in not a too long time : ) __Izabel_

_Disclaimer: __The world and caracthers of this story belongs to JKR not me..._

She wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. It was so obvious. For the first time, Ron has beaten her on her own field: Muggle life.

Four years had passed since their Hogwarts graduation. Things had been difficult to handle at first, for their seven years routine had been suddenly stopped. As great as it now was to live on her own, it had taken a while to get used to it. Now, she wouldn't change her life for anything.

She had successfully been accepted at London Muggle and Wizarding Laws School, where she was currently studying both laws, but mostly enjoying animals and half-breed rights. To no one surprise, she was top of her year.

A few months after her graduation, she had move in with her two best mates, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, after an exhausting week of flat hunting. She was keeping in touch with her parents, Hogwarts friends and professor McGonagall – to the boys' great surprise – on a regular basis.

Luna and Ginny were as well sharing a flat since three years ago, but both were in Oxford studying English. Luna wanted to publish something like the Quibbler. Having learned to get over her celebrity shyness, Ginny was ultimately seeking a news reporter or journalist job.

Each Thursday night they were meeting all 5 together with Neville and Seamus at Dean's new Irish Wizard Pub in Diagon Alley called The Friendly Ghost. It was a sacred night. Their time schedule had to be adjusted to the fact that they couldn't miss the Thursday night. All of them, no exception made.

So they were, her and Ron, waiting for their friends to arrived, Together, they had decided to come earlier to catch up a bit since they had barely seen each other this week. Ron was working at the Auror department in the Strategic Division and was enjoying it. His chess mastering was being helpful and well used now. His goal was to be part of the Training and Strategy program of the Chuddley Cannons Quidditch Team, but he had learned to know that everything would come in time.

Being a converted TV watcher despite all the worthless programs playing on British Muggle telly, he'd become a Wizarding TV adept as well. The latter was more interesting to him, though; an inside Muggle joke was simply just non understandable. Indeed, Harry had decided to produce and invent a Wizarding version of TV – that could be watched in houses were magic was used – cleverly called TV, because, as Hermione had brilliantly said, it would cause no problems if slipped in a Muggle Conversation. Since this huge discovery that telly had been, Ron sometimes pondered how he could have missed all those genius movies if it hadn't been of Harry, Dean and Hermione.

This week, he had come across a Wizard Quiz called Alohomora of the Mind. It was clear to him: Hermione was simply the best candidate ever for them. The money attraction was part of his first interest (even if he didn't know if he would have some in the end), but then, knowing her, she would not miss a chance to prove herself intellectually in every possible way. And speaking for himself, if there was only one person this show was worth of, it was Hermione.

So when Hermione had heard his idea, this Thursday night, she was dumbstruck. Why hadn't she thought of that herself? Of course, she enjoyed mostly cinema over TV and was not a big watcher anyway, but still she knew the existence of it. She had been raised in the Muggle World. She SHOULD have known it would exist even if it was in the new Wizarding world of TV. Her mind was already made. She would subscribe first thing next week.

With this new exciting project on her mind, she finished her Sex on the Beach, before ordering immediately another one. Ron was already on his second Irish beer and she couldn't understand how he could stand even one. Not being a beer person herself, she had heard though that an Irish Beer was as filling as a meal. And it looked so creamy and thick! But Ron was Ron: the guy that could eat the whole Gryffindor table meals himself. No bottom existed in alcohol as in food. It had lead to many unforgettable moments. Hermione smiled to herself thinking about it. _'Oh my god, so much happened! And the best of it is that he probably doesn't recall half of them!'_ That was the best part for her. She never missed an opportunity to bring it back on his nose. A bit unfair and almost bitchy but so enjoyable for everyone else!

Everyone gradually arrived bringing with them a lot of 'Hey Mate!', laugher, beer, hugs, chat and fun. They were not the only persons in there tonight so adding to the noisy background a tasteful music choice was creating a cheerful and animated ambiance. Soon the girls were happily catching up while the boys, after an impressive ten minutes of greeting each others, were just laughing their heads out loud and getting drunk already, not missing a second of good fun. And then came the ultimate hour: Karaoke time! The best and the worst part of the night.

Ginny who had somehow managed to convince the cute bartender that it was her birthday (even though he knew just too well it was about 5 weeks ago) was now getting free drinks out of him. A guy she had spoken to about an hour before suddenly decided to sing a song for her in honour of the start of the best decade of her life. Everyone played along the story up to the point where a very drunk Ron had begged his sister to forgive him because he was to biggest git in the world having forgotten her 20th birthday. Both had tears in their eyes but not for the same reason as Ginny was barely containing her laugher.

Even though Hermione wasn't getting free drinks – knowing the owner gave her 50 discount anyway – she was getting really tipsy by now. Just enough to don't care anymore and just having fun. That would cause the beginning of her career at the karaoke house of fame. She never ever would aloud herself to get there and so far succeed in declining every single request and invitation on the stage even on her most tipsy nights. But tonight she didn't know what led her to it but she wanted to give it a try. After all, beside the fact that everyone would endlessly remind her of her surely ridiculous and awful singing, what was there to risk? She could certainly live with that. '_Most of them probably won't remember anyway.'_

It was an utter shock, mostly to Harry. To see his best girl friend layer-to-be-I'll-never-make-a-fool-of-myself currently stepping on the stage. '_Oh Merlin! Has someone poured something illegal in her drink?'_ He quickly checked only to find it securely in the hands of Luna whom she had mostly been with for the last half-hour. '_No problems there but what on earth is happening?'_ Ron was too drunk to notice the oddity of the scene. His only comment was:

'Hew Hawry ! Ya girlfwiend chinging.'

Harry had immediately turned his head towards the small stage wondering whom Ron was talking about. He had just broken up not a month ago with Luna. She was still sometimes on his mind as his girlfriend but mostly now as his other female best friend. They had grew close in the latest years after Hogwarts and he had helped her a lot to go through the death of her father during the post-war. A former Death Eater had cast him the unforgivable to revenge the part Luna's father took bring together the Wizarding community against Voldemort. He had not stopped supporting Dumbledore's cause after the now famous and respected interview given by Harry in his 5th year right until the moment when Harry Potter became The-Boy-Who's-Love-destroyed-You-Know-Who 2 years later. Harry had been deeply affected by this as well, knowing that it was part his fault, but also because of the sincere thankfulness he felt for the man who helped the Order and himself the most during the 2nd and 3rd war journalistic cover. Indeed since that fateful night almost a year ago both drew closer to each other. It was a feeling somehow natural. He also, a bit unconsciously, felt that he needed to help her as she had in the few months following his godfather's death. Things between them were however better in a friendship than relationship way, not that they did not enjoyed the latter. Far from that indeed. They were just more comfortable with each other and around their friends this way. In fact it strengthens their bond more than ever since. That's why when he heard Ron evoking his girlfriend Hermione was not at all the person he expected to see.

Hermione had a hard time picking her song. She didn't want to sing something too far from her register while she wanted to have a meaningful song and one she enjoyed. She finally made up her mind on a new song she loved : 'Beautiful Day' from U2.

_It's a beautiful day - the sky falls  
You feel like it's a beautiful day  
Don't let it get away _

You're on the road  
But you've got no destination  
You're in the mud  
In the maze of her imagination  
You love this town  
Even if that doesn't ring true  
You've been all over  
And it's been all over you

It's a beautiful day  
Don't let it get away  
It's a beautiful day

Touch me, take me to that other place  
Teach me, I know I'm not a hopeless case

Her voice was not spectacular but he had to admit she wasn't bad either. Though it was apparent the alcohol played an important part in her behaviour for she was enjoying and immersing herself far too much in the song to be a sober girl. It wasn't anymore the studying serious girl Harry knew. He was well aware that she could have fun when she aloud herself to but never had he seen her so much free. He could only wonder at this new sight. This intriguing, enjoyable, beautiful side of the girl he thought he knew so well.

The other girls were quite impressed too at her quite tuned performance but mostly because of the passion and the energy she was putting into it. Yet, come to think of it, Hermione has always been a passionate, dedicated and restless girl. It shouldn't be such a surprise. But it was.

Dean, Seamus and Neville enjoyed her performance by dancing and singing with her most part of it even though only one of them knew a resemblance of the lyrics of U2's hit.

_What you don't have you don't need it now  
What you don't know you can feel somehow  
What you don't have you don't need it now  
Don't need it now  
It was a beautiful day_

There was a big round of applause and Hermione barely got the chance to get off the stage before a breathless Neville came to her.

'EMyonknee that was amazing!'

And he kissed her hard on both cheeks after a bone crushing hug. She tried to recover her balance when he let go of her only to see her efforts crashed by her unwilling body who just sat down on the first space available. It happened to be Harry's lap.

'Hey there! What a show! My girl certainly has unknown talents. You'll always surprise me dear.'

A now tearful Hermione was sitting on him never aware of what it could meant or if he minded that she had taken him as a chair and only making herself comfortable during her recovery from her performance, Neville's kind-of attack and Harry's half-drunk words.

'Oh Harry! Thank you! Thank you so much!'

She quickly brushed her tears away not letting herself go on too much crying and was quickly having fun again and wanting to sing more. And so the evening went between singing, drinking, dancing, discoveries and friends.


End file.
